Search This Blog

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Bloomingburg, NY - Questions are swirling around
Bloomingburg Mayor Mark Berentsen after it was revealed that guaranteed water
access for private land owned by the Berentsen family was included in the
controversial 396-unit housing deal developer Shalom Lamm struck with the
village of Bloomingburg.

RECORDONLINE.com reports that, according to Sullivan County
property records, Berentsen and his parents purchased a parcel of land from
Shalom Lamm’s Sullivan Farms just two months prior to Lamm’s deal going before
Bloomingburg’s planning board for approval.

Language in the deal between Sullivan Farms and the
Berentsens clearly states that Lamm’s housing development deal will provide
water access to Berentsen’s new properties.

According to records on file and notarized by Bloomingburg
lawyer John Kelly in May of 2010, it states, “As part of the project, SF
(Sullivan Farms) will develop a water supply and construct and install a water
delivery system to serve the improvements at the Project site.

In addition,
upon receipt of the Project approvals….SF will cause the Bloomingburg Water
Transportation Company to include in its service the area the Village residences
located at 68 Winterton Road, and to certain parcels located on Market Street
known as (....) which parcels are located in the Village but outside the
project area.”

The omitted addresses, indicated only by tax map numbers,
are the exact addresses of the properties purchased by the Berentsens.

Mayor Berentsen signed off on Lamm’s 360-unit housing a mere
two months later, followed by the planning board.

Local watchdog groups say, at the very least, Berentsen’s
actions in the deal should be investigated for ‘conflict of interest,’ while
legal experts suggest his actions may have been more severe.

Holly Roche, leader of the Rural Community Coalition, said,
“In my opinion it’s a conflict of interest according to the New York State
Ethics Code. He (Berentsen) signed off on the developer’s agreement at the same
time he was involved in a business deal with the developer. Problem.”

A spokesman for the New York AG’s office, which is currently
investigating the matter, said only that it “wouldn’t dispute” charges that the
Berentsen’s deal was “improper.”